Wrapping machine



W. M. WHEILDON. WRAPPxNo MACHINE, FILED JAN. 1'4.. |921. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I Dec. ig, i922; www

Dec'. 3.99 i922. 1,439,387

W, M. WHEILONl WRAPPING MACHINE. u Fl LED JAN, 14. |921 2 SHEETS SHEET 2 Parar OFFICE,

WILLIAM M. WIIEILDON, or ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, Ass'IGNoB, 'ro EDWARD II.

ANGIER, OF FRAMING-HAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

WRAPPING MACHINE.

Application med January 14,1921. vserial No. '437,175.

T 0 all whom 'it may concern.'

v Be it known that I,- WILLIAM M. WHEIn'- IDDN, a citizen of the United States, and resi- State of Massachusetts, havev invented an Improvement in( Wmpping' Machines, ofv which the following description, mconnec-r tion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the pdrawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to wrapping machines and more particularly to that typey adapted to enclose'an article in a helical winding of paper strip.v Such machines are commonly used in wrapping annuliv and particularly tires. The object of the invention is the-provision of certain improvements in the means for supporting and Aholding the article to be wrapped to faciliwhat is shown in Fig. 3.

Itate the making of a satisfactory paclsrage.v

lWhile my invention may'be embodied in various mechanical forms 'the principles of the same may be well understood by reference to the following' description of one rticular form shown by wayofexample 1n the accompanying drawingswher em:

Fig. 1 is a side elevationof a tire wrappin machine with parts broken away;

1g. 2 is an end view seen from the right of Fig.V 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation on an enlarged.

scale of certain parts;- andv Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through The machine shown in. the drawings embodies various features of construction not novel to the present application-and in particular claimed in the patent to Fisher 1,265,640, dated May 7, 1918, As shown in the drawings the machine has a frame compris1ng an elevated bed 3 beneath which may be housed certain. parts of the operating mechanism,`from which bed rises a standard 5 in the'form of an incomplete annulus gapped at :the top on which may' be mounted supportingrolls 7 (see F1g 2)'. The rolls receive and support. for rotation about a horizontal 'axis the wrapping shuttle 9 which receivesthev roll of wrapping material. To'rotate theshuttle it may be received in a loop of the driving belt l1 trained about the terminal rolls 7 and the drive wheel 13 carried by the drive shaft 15 which is received beneath the bed 3. The

.ferring to fFig.

certain features described and annular article T,`usually a tire, is preferably as shown in Fig. 1 supported in verti-l 'cal position with the lower portion thereof traversing the eye of the shuttle and for thls purpose it may be sustained from beneath by two supporting rolls 17 mounted ateither end of the shuttle and above the.

lower runthereof, against which rolls `it-'s held'by a guiding follower convenientlyinl the form of a roll 19 bearing on the upper portion of the tire. Conveniently this `roll 1s pivoted as shown toa post 21 rising from the standard and thus itsvweght is effective lto hold thetire in position and rmly to pressit againstv the rolls 17, one or both of which may be driven to revolve the tire to provide a proper pitch for the wrapping as is common in machines of this type. Re-

l the rotation of the tire in the machine shown is clockwise and the rotation of th'e left hand rollg17 counterclockwise and' the rotation of ,this roll thus has a tendency to `lift .the tira-The roll 19 is preferably so pivoted as to tend to swing toward this roll 17 directly to press the tire against tendency.

the same `andresist this lifting Y tle 9 and to accommodate tires of dlerent diameters therolls 1 7 are arranged to move transyeiy'selyof the plane'of the shuttle and suitable means may b e provided for giving` them simultaneous movements of separation or.approach as described in said patent to' Fisher ,above referred to. I have herein' illustrated an operating lever 23 for effecting this adjusting movementl -overall dimension and in 'cross section'. As

shown in Fig. 2 the supporting rolls 17 are preferably concaved and are adapted to re- 'ceive tires of larger sectional form. Tires 'of comparatively small cross section rest comparatively freely in the concavity` of these rolls. lit has been found that ,in wrapping tires at high speed with material capable of exerting a. strong tenslon without breakage, as, for example, in making the Recent developments in tire wrapping package as described in the Angier patent' referred to, that the smaller tires are drawn and' whipped about laterally to a considerable extent by the tension of the paper. In a machine of the Fisher type as here described this efl'ect is minimized because the wrapping takes place between two rolls 17 disposed at opposite ends of the comparatively small arc of the tire. Furthermore, in a construction as shown wherein the guiding follower 19 exerts its principal pressure in opposition to that of roll 17 which normally tends to lift the tire as illustrated in Fig. 1, the tire is quite firmly pressed against the supporting roll 17. However,

small tires at high speeds are capable of shifting on the surface of the supporting -rolls 17 and even of bending andtwisting laterally between the two points of support provided by'these rolls. In accordance with the present invention, therefore, I provide v mea-ns for laterally supporting the tire substantia-lly at the point of wrapping and in the form showrfthese means are so provided as to be automatically adaptable to the various sizes of tires which are used in the machine, this being facilitated in particular by the construction of the machine as already described.

Referring to the drawings, I provide substantially inthe plane of the wrappin shuttle 9 a guide of generally V-shape form adapted to underride the tire and herein consisting of a pair of diverging rollers 25 between which the tire fits, as best shown in Fig. 2. The construction is such that the tire when inserted in the machine rolls into the open side of the V and comes to rest between the sides thereof, the guide automaticall adapting itself to the size of the tire. I e diverging relation of the rollers 25 permits the accommodation of tires of different sizes. The tire is substantially centered in the shuttle 9 whatever its size, this being made possible by the adjustment of the rolls 17 as in the manner described in the Fisher patent above referred to. The variation in position of the lateral supports which must be provided for to accommodate tires of various cross sections is consequently minimized. 0n the other hand, the point C, referring to Fig. 2, representing the substantial center of the cross section of the tire, should be'fixed and should not be disarranged by the lateral supporting means provided by the rollers 25. In the present instance the V-shaped support is yieldably mounted automatically to adjust itself beneath the weight of the tire. I have herein shown on the housing 5 a guideway 27 adapted to receive a slide 29 (see Figs. 3 and e), oa which are mounted the two roliers Yieidabiy to support the slide 29 I have provided. the spring 33'., convenientiy spiriti coiispring analogeus to spring since this form permits a relatively wide variation of movement with substantially constant resistance. The function of the spring is simply to provide a counterbalancing support for the slide 29 and does not exert any substantial pressure through the rollers 25 on the tire T. On the contrary, the wei ht of the tire freely displaces the rolls and t ese provide merely a lateral support therefor during the wrapping operation. As shown. the rollers 25 may lie substantially in the plane of the shuttle closely adjacent and preferably somewhat in advance of the point of application of the wrap.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the 'guiding rollers 23 are closely adjacent to the left hand traction roll 17 in that figure which draws the tire through the shuttle and are in advance thereof. I have found that guiding rollels in this location serve to center the tire in the concavity of the supporting roll even although they exert substantially no pressure on the tire itself. While I do not understand that the( action is the same, the effect ma,v be compared'l by way of analogy t0 the guiding of a belt on a. pulle It is possible to control and guide a belt from the side whichleads to the pulley whereas it cannot be controlled from the side from which it leaves thev pulley. Similarly a guide located in the rear of instead of in advance ofthe traction roll is not edective to center the tirethereon. In the present instance the guides A125 adapt themselvesfto tires of various sizes automat-ically as the tire is introduced into the machine. stantial deforming pressure on the. tire itself, they may be arranged as shown to take up a certain amount of the pull of the wrapping and in any event they serve to uide and center the tire in the traction ro l 17 and aid in makin it run true as it revolves'.

Conveniently tie axes of the rolls 25 are inclined so that they are substantially parallel with the pitch of 'thewrapping as best illustrated in Fig. 1, and the axis may be suchthat if extended it would come close to the mean position of' follower 'roll 19. In other words, the roll 19 may swing substantially in a plane defined by the axes of the twoI rolls 25. This arrangement provides for the most effectual resistance to the upward and sideways pull of the wrapping.

Claims: f

l. In a wrapping machine of the class described comprising a Wrapping shuttle and rolls at opposite sides thereof for supporting an article in traversing relation thereto, an upwardly opening V-shaped guide receiving the article adjacent the point of application of the wrap and freely displaceabie downwardly by the article.

2. I a wrapping machine of the class de- While they need exert no sub` ling 'an article in traversing relation scribed comprising a Wrapping shuttle and rolls at opposite sides thereof for supportthereto, a member, adjacentthe shuttle carr ing a. diver ing pair of rollers and yieldab y supported to be displaced by a tire entering between the rollers. `V

3. In a wrapping machine for annu1i,a

circular shuttle mounted for rotation about 'a substantially horizontal axis, supporting and driving means for the annulus located at opposite ends of the shuttlelabove the lower run thereof to sustain the annulus'in an upright position in traversing-relation to the shuttle for rotation about a substantially horizontalaxis, a guiding follower above the shuttle in position to bear down upon the annulus to hold the same upon the supporting means in a vsubstantially upright position, means for imparting rotative movements to the shuttle, means for driving the supporting means to rotate the annulus and a V-shaped guide located between the supporting means to underride the annulus and yieldable under the Weight'there'of.

4. In a Wrapping machine for annuli, a circular shuttle mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, supporting and driving means for the annulus located at opposite endsb of the shuttle above the lower run thereof to sustain the Vannulus in an upright position in traversing relation to the shuttle for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, a guiding follower above the `shuttle in position to bear down upon the annulusl to hold the same -upon the supporting means in a substantially upright position, means for imparting rotative movements to the shuttle, means for driving the supporting means to rotate the annulus, means vfor causing-simultaneous. separation or approach of the supporting means to maintain annuli of different sizes with the portion traversing the shuttle substantially central thereto and a V-shaped guide 1ocated between the supporting meansito underride the annulus and yieldable under the weight thereof.

5. In a Wrapping machine of the class described a rotary Wrapping. shuttle, means for supportin `and feeding an -article in traversing re ation thereto and lateral guides for the article adjacent` the point of application of the Wrap inclined substantially to parallel the pitch of the Wrapping.

6. In a wrapping machine for annuli in combination, a circular shuttle to 4revolve about the annulus, a traction roll toI underride t-he annulus and advance it through the shuttle and a pair of diverging guide members adapted to receive the annulus between them and yieldably supported to automatically adjust themselves `to annuli of different sizes, said members being mounted -about the annulus, a driven roll adjacent the shuttle engaging. the annulus to draw it through the shuttle and a guide members engaging the annulus adja vance of said roll to center the annulus thereon, said members being yieldably supf ported "automatically to adjust themselves to annuli of dil'erent sizes. l

8.- In a wrapping machine for annuli in combination, a circular shuttle to revolvel about the annulus, a traction roll to underride the annulus and advance it through the shuttle and |lateral guide means qadapted to engage the sides of the annulus and to be positioned thereby Without substantial deforming pressure on the annulus, said means being located in advance of and adjacent to the roll to serve as a centering guide for the annulus thereon.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication.

WILLIAM M. WHEILDQN.

pair of diverging 4cent the point of Wrap and closely in ad- 

